


Avoidance

by alumort



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Fake Marriage, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Not Beta Read, Other, Pining, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28764210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alumort/pseuds/alumort
Summary: Neji and Tenten get married for tax evasion, though they aren't interested on the other nor romantically or sexually
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Tenten, Hyuuga Neji & Tenten, Hyuuga Neji/Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten
Kudos: 11





	Avoidance

**Author's Note:**

> i consulted the council(aka three writer friends whose opinions i respect) whether i should add the nejiten tag...  
> in the end, one told me that some people may be interested on the level of trust they have to get married just for tax evasion, so i added it.   
> be warned that this fanfic has NO heterosexuality ‼️   
> (by the way, hinata uses they/them and she/her here)

The shop was mostly empty that afternoon, with the sun shining brightly and not many people walking through the streets. Hot summer days usually kept clients away at their homes, and understandably- but it didn't mean that it wasn't going to be boring, just sitting around with all the swords and blades at each side of one of the owners. He sighed softly, drinking from his water bottle as he felt some sweat falling from his long hair. 

There was not much to do other than wait in his place, observing the door just in case someone got the idea of going once some clouds covered the blue sky. Once some shades allowed them to walk on the pavement, in the paths, and their mind was only focused on some shuriken or kunais.

One could just wish. And maybe there was someone extremely tall coming there, though Neji couldn't use his past ability to check if that was true. He just had to wait in silence, carefully stretching his arms while getting up, seeing the person almost at the door of the store.

His vision had been failing him a lot since he lost the Byakugan, and the man had been needing glasses since his injuries from the war had healed– forgetting them on his house had made the brunet not even realize that the client wasn't just another client, that it was his closest friend and not someone he didn't know.

And Neji had just realized once the taller man had wrapped him in a hug, careful as always as to not harm him in any way. Though, it was a bit annoying to be lifted in the air without being warned first...

"Good afternoon, my dear rival!" His friend exclaimed, letting him on the ground before the brunet could complain. He grinned as Neji looked at him with a frown, his dimples showing on his cheeks. "How is your day going? Have you got any pain today?"

"Thankfully, I have been alright today," the shorter man replied, returning to his seat and relaxing again. Lee seemed even taller from his chair, and Neji sighed sadly at his own meter-with-seventy-three centimeters. "Hinata made an ointment that helped my muscles a lot. I think it would work with Gai too, they gave me a lot, so I can give a jar to him. I hope it can help him too."

"Oh, that sounds awesome! I'm happy you could find something that actually works!" Lee said, nodding and closing his eyes. Then he opened them again, as if he remembered something though the man didn't speak for a bit.

The brunet observed him in silence, handing him one of the water bottles that were being hoarded because of the high temperature of the day. His rival took it and nodded again, saying thanks without pronouncing any word as he drank from the bottle. For him to be this quiet... there was a chance something was wrong.

"What's in your mind, Lee?" Neji questioned him, tilting his head to the side. Lee imitated him, looking confused. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No, not at all!" The taller man replied, leaving his bottle on top of the counter, scratching his chin. "Just thinking about stuff. I have to go on a mission in a few days, I'm thinking about that."

"Do you need us to take care of Metal? You know there's no problem with that. I love my nephew, and Tenten does too."

"Oh, don't worry! It's a short mission, I'll be back in a week or so. Ino will keep an eye on him while I'm gone– it's been a while since Metal and Inojin spent time together, so she offered," Lee reassured his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder as he explained. "I wanted to give Metal a gift, and that's why I'm here– He likes practicing with kunais, so I ordered some and Tenten told me they were going to be ready by this hour... Did she tell you?"

The brunet frowned, playing with a strand of his long hair as he remembered. His wife had said something about an extremely important order, and that was why she wasn't with him at that moment. So he nodded in response, passing a hand through his forehead to clean some of the sweat on his skin.

"Yes, she did. I'm sure she'll be here at any moment," the man said, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them again, and noticed that there was another silence between his friend and him, though it wasn't annoying or uncommon between the two.

They didn't need to talk much. Just enjoying the other's company, sometimes doing silly challenges for fun– for Neji, at least, that was enough. Their friendship was unique, but it didn't make it less good.

During some occasions, his rival would throw some compliment to him, and the brunet would do the same just to see who would blush first. That was just another of their friend-things.

And judging by the taijutsu master's funny expression, it was going to start once again.

"Your hair looks gorgeous today, my dear rival," Lee commented, a tiny smile decorating his face, with his dimples showing up after that simple action. 

Neji smiled back, carefully touching his friend's cheeks just to see him giggle softly at the gesture. The brunet loved how they just teased each other like this, being just another layer to their depth of their friendship. He stuck out his tongue, placing his hands on the counter before replying to his rival.

"Well, I like your smile. It's very bright," he said, squinting his eyes at seeing Lee's face turn darker with that, just to let out a smirk. "What? Did I take you by surprise?"

"Um, yeah..." the taijutsu master muttered, looking to the side while swallowing. He looked at his friend again after that. "You know, your smile is the brightest, as you don't let it show much. It's more... Meaningful, you know?"

"I don't agree with you, Lee. Your smile is contagious, and that's what makes it perfect."

The black haired man didn't reply to that, scratching the back of his head with a shaky sigh leaving his mouth. He kept quiet after that exchange, though not for long– someone else had entered the room, and she sounded annoyed as hell.

"I can't believe it, my friend and my husband are flirting. Again!" the woman complained, denying with her head as she walked from the depths of the store, with a big box filled with kunais on her hands. Tenten left it on the counter and then crossed her arms over her chest, frowning with an exaggerated pout in her face. "I'm so sad! How dare you two? At least wait until I'm gone!"

The two men looked at their friend with serious expressions on their faces, and the silence of the room was extremely noticeable. Maybe they were sweating with nervousness, but then... Neji started to laugh softly, and his friends accompanied him after a moment.

Maybe there were matching golden rings on the fingers of Neji and Tenten, but their union wasn't one made because of love. In fact, neither of them was interested in the opposite gender at all. But there had been pressure coming from the Hyuga Clan, and from the woman's family, and in the end they just got together to get them off their necks. 

… And for tax evasion, but they would never admit it out loud with people outside of Team Gai(plus Kakashi and Hinata). There also was the problem of his constant pain, which was worse during days where the humidity was high, or when he got too stressed. 

Sometimes, the man could just know when he was going to remain inside of his bed all day, but it wasn't an exact science. Tenten had agreed to buy a house with him mostly because of that, but the tax evasion was a good reason too.

It was also good to keep other people from giving nasty comments to both of them. Showing them the finger with the golden ring worked instantly, though it was ridiculous that people respected that more than they respected people who were by themselves.

(Lee complained about this, too, deeply uncomfortable by someone on the streets but unable to get a tax evasion-only partner. After Tenten threw kunais at the person he complained about, he didn't speak about those themes anymore, yet it probably happened more than once.)

"But you just arrived, Tenten! How can you know what we were talking about?" Lee wondered, a playful smile on his face.

"Because you two..." the woman started, pointing at her friends with a finger. "Are predictable. Checkmate!"

"That's impossible. You know I wouldn't do that to you, my dear wife," Neji argued, his expression becoming serious once again. "I would never betray you that way..."

"Too bad. Hinata and I had a picnic the other day, and they're a better partner than you are! At this point, I may just leave you and move in with her. They also know how to cook better than you!"

The brunet frowned at this, crossing his arms over his chest while gasping loudly. He pouted, turning his back to Tenten just to look at the wall to act like he was annoyed at this.

"How dare you say that about my food! I won't make you dinner tonight, that's how angry I am. You're mean, Tenten. The meanest person I know of."

"Guys, don't fight... You two get a bit too dramatic sometimes, someone could get hurt," Lee mumbled, scratching the back of his head as he talked. "It's also suspicious when you get this dramatic. Kiba has already started to question me, and it's hard to make him stop being curious about stuff! You have to be more careful!"

"... He has a point," Neji admitted, turning around again to look at his wife in the eyes. "All our jokes of this caliber... we may have been doing them with someone that's nor Lee or Gai. Or Kiba was using his super hearing, but... It's dangerous. But fun."

"Not worth the risk, I guess." Tenten sighed, resting her head on her hands. She then got up to grab some of the kunais of the box she got, taking some that had a special combination of colors on the handle, which Neji recognized with a content smile. "It's sad, though. That we had to do this just to make people stop annoying us."

"And it doesn't work well. But it's better than nothing, I guess," the long haired man muttered, closing his eyes and playing with loose strands resting at his cheeks. "I don't know what I would be doing if we didn't marry, though. You guys know how bad the pain gets... it can last for more than one day, and. Well. It's not pleasant even if someone can help me, imagine if I had to be alone... In the Hyuga compound, no less! Hiashi would say that I'm just faking it, and force me to get up and train until I pass out or die. Again."

"Yeah. It really was for the best, huh?" Lee said, his eyes focusing on something at his side, while his hand came closer to the counter– where Neji's hands rested, surrounded by more water bottles. The taller man seemed dubious about something, his fingers almost touching his rival's skin... But he decided to grab a fresh drink instead, letting out a soft sigh after he was done.

Neji almost thought the sigh seemed melancholic, yet his friend let out a reassuring smile for him and him only, as Tenten was busy gathering more weapons from a box. He grabbed Lee's hand, knowing how well physical affection made him– and it worked, because even if his skin was scarred, calloused and rough he still was extremely sensitive with the brunet; always dedicating the widest smiles to him, even if they just rested together under the shadows of a tree, always thinking on how to prevent him of getting hurt...

And his cheeks always darkened with him, and his nervousness was shown on his lips and posture, even if he learnt now to keep his voice steady. It was cute, though Neji didn't tease his friend with this because he could get upset.

"What do the colors in the kunais mean?" Lee wondered, deciding to change the theme, slowly entwining his fingers with the brunet's as if asking for permission. The Hyuga let out a soft smile and did the same, which resulted in his rival's eyes brightening up.

"It's our flag," Tenten explained, putting all the kunais together so they would be easier to carry. "The trans one. Metal will know what it means, and I'm sure it will cheer him up. Have an eye on him while he practices, though– they're not sharp enough to be deadly, 'cause he's not in the academy yet, but he could get hurt."

"Okay, Tenten! Thank you so much! He's going to love these!" The taijutsu master said, a big grin decorating his face as he grabbed the kunais and the money to pay for the weapons. "The colors are so nice. I'm going to show this to Metal right away!"

"Will you two go tomorrow to the monthly dinner?" Neji asked before Lee turned to leave, tilting his head to the side. His rival nodded with his smile still present, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Good. It was our turn to prepare something, and it's right before you have to leave..."

"He's not going to leave forever, don't be dramatic!" the brunette exclaimed, pinching her husband's nose carefully enough to not make him feel pain. "You go with your son, I have to discuss stuff with my beloved here. We'll see each other tomorrow anyways."

Lee squinted in a way that revealed how hilarious the situation was for him, but his mouth didn't open at all. He waved to the duo and crossed through the door silently, deciding to not disturb the 'couple' as Tenten didn't pull out that card unless she was being actually serious.

Neji pouted at his wife, crossing his arms over his chest and resting his back on the wall. The woman laughed softly at him, sitting at his side while keeping her gaze on him.

"... why did you scare him away?" the Hyuga questioned, letting out a soft sigh.

"Because you were going to get flirty again. Also, Metal has separation anxiety since he came from the orphanage, I think it's better for him to be with his papa," Tenten explained, shrugging. "Also… Tomorrow you'll cook with him, huh? What will you do, then?"

Neji raised an eyebrow; there was a hint of something on the last words she pronounced, but he couldn't decipher what her tone meant. There was a hidden meaning to that, though it was better if he figured it out by himself.

"Probably some curry. Lee loves it, and his recipe without spicy flavors is the best," the brunet said, looking to his wife at the eye. Waiting for a reaction, knowing that he didn't give her the answer she wanted.

Tenten kept her gaze solid for some moments, then got bored and started to play with her hair without saying anything else. Neji considered it a win, though he kept wondering what she had truly meant with her question as the two waited until it was time to close the shop.

~

When night fell, they returned to their home without rush as it was close to the weapons shop. Tenten went to take a bath while the man observed what was in their fridge, his stomach growling already– he wasn't going to wait for his wife to order some takeout or that, no matter how offended he felt by her insults towards his cooking.

He may be annoyed, but his hunger was stronger. So he got some meat and vegetables, and started to prepare something simple and tasty.

He always used too many vegetables, but they were helpful for the flavour. That's why he didn't even notice that Tenten was done with her bath until she talked to him, while drying her hair with a towel.

"Didn't you say you weren't going to cook today?" she teased, lending the man a fresh water bottle from the fridge, and getting one for herself too. "Guess you couldn't resist my charms."

"Not really. You hurt my feelings, but if I don't cook nobody will in this house, and I'm hungry," was the only response coming from Neji's mouth, who looked at his wife only because he took a drink from the cold beverage. He looked serious, but his eyes didn't reveal any real anger on them.

"I can do a super tasty instant ramen, mind you! You're just jealous that I like Hinata more than you," the woman argued, sticking out her tongue. "We always gave each other help with gender stuff. You wouldn't understand."

"I'm not jealous. You never liked men, why would I try to force you?" The Hyuga argued, cutting some meat in small cubes to then add them to a wok. "It's wonderful you can have such discussions with your partner, Tenten. I'm really happy you could bond with them to this point... I'm just worried about what's going to happen if she decides to move with you. I don't think I could stay here."

"You could go live with Lee and Metal! They wouldn't mind, they love you a lot," she suggested with a smile, getting a glass for herself. Then she sighed softly before talking again. "I won't kick you out, Neji. We literally got married so I could help you a bit, why did you think I could make you just... go? Alone? I'm not letting you go back to the Compound, even if Hanabi is the Clan Head now."

"I guess you're right. I just worry too much," Neji admitted, squinting his eyes. He opened them again just to keep working on the dinner, still being extremely quiet at his task just like when he was still a ninja. 

Some habits never leave, after all, no matter how many years passed in times of peace. Even if there weren't any dangers of a war starting again, they all had an instinct of being prepared for the worse– so the brunet would never stop trying to be stealthy, if only with trivial things. Better than with nothing, he probably thought.

The silence resulted annoying for the woman, who tried to come up with something to distract her husband from his own mind... he sometimes got sad with thoughts alone, and cheering him up after that was the hardest task she had found so far.

"Heyy Neji, I want to complain about something," the woman started after some minutes, noticing the confusion and interest in Neji's eyes with just those words. "It's about Lee and you."

"About him and me? What did we do now..." the brunet mumbled, denying with his head. "We didn't break anything, if that's what you're going to say!"

"It's not about that, silly! It's just... you two keep flirting in public... people will start thinking you're cheating on me! That will be soo annoying, everyone is super nosy too," Tenten complained while serving herself some water, a frown appearing on her face. "You should just kiss him already! You know I don't mind, right? Just like you don't mind me being with Hinata."

"Why would I kiss him?" Neji wondered, returning to chop the carrots and onions at a slow pace, deciding to ignore the last comment. "We don't... flirt, for real. It's just another silly rivalry challenge, don't worry."

His wife didn't reply to that, though she got up from her chair and walked to his side, looking extremely serious now. The brunet tilted his head to the side, tensing his body as he felt both of his cheeks being pressed by Tenten's hands, who seemed to be trying to hold a laugh.

"Neji, I can't believe how dense you are. Are– are you seriously telling me that...? Oh my god," she muttered, giggling softly as she denied with her head. "He's been in love with you since, like, forever! I thought you were in love with him too!"

The Hyuga was the one without replying this time, a confused frown on his face as he analyzed his friend's words–

"Oh. Oh. So that's why he... That's why he always compliments me, like. More than he compliments everyone else."

"That, my dear husband, is something called 'flirting'. And you do the same with him. He must think you want to go out with him too!" Tenten explained, gently moving him around as she talked. Neji let the knife on the counter to prevent hurting himself, or her, and that was when she stopped. Her gaze rested on him, curiosity showing through her eyes. "... do you want to be with him, Neji? There's nothing wrong with that, I really don't mind! I would cheer for you two, you would be super cute together."

"I..."

The brunet bit his lower lip, sighing deeply. With this new information, he had absolutely no idea of what to do– how to feel, after all this time misinterpreting the words of his best friend.

Lee had always been by his side, even when he was simply angry at the world for trivial reasons, back when their team was formed and even now. He had held him when his body almost shattered back during the war, had helped him during the recovery– with those strong, warm arms of his, and with a calm smile that helped Neji relax even if for a moment.

Now... he wasn't sure what he felt. The brunet really loved when his rival called him nice things, or when Lee gave him hugs without apparent reason– he was particularly fond of all the times both of them just talked during the night, or when they cooked together during free days... It was nice, but wasn't that what friends did? Neji was unsure of what romantic love was, and his wife was even less certain, but that had to be the closest to it that he could think of.

"... I don't know, I have never considered dating anyone until you told me this, Tenten. I have to think about it," the man admitted, looking away. He grabbed the knife to keep chopping vegetables for their food, to keep himself busy and distracted. "... He's the sweetest man I know. Do you think it would make him happy if I, like. If I ask him to date?"

"I think he would be very happy, but you don't have to do it just to make him smile, okay? Just do it if you really want to," Tenten said, a gentle smile decorating her face as she talked. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he finally managed to look at her again, though his cheeks still felt warmer than usual. "Don't force yourself to love, even if he is a good man and your closest friend. It won't make either of you happy in the end."

Neji let out a soft sigh, nodding in silence after his wife finished talking and her smile relaxed. The man just continued making the dinner for both of them, not knowing what to say to that.

It was still confusing to his heart, with the realization that Lee loved him as more than best friends... he had never imagined that could be the case. Well, yes, more than once– but that was when he was exhausted, not because there was solid evidence of that being a possibility.

Yet it was. And it took Neji almost twenty years to realize it.

But, oh, he still wasn't sure if he felt the same way towards the taller man... Neji didn't want to upset him, though he couldn't just ignore this newfound information like it was a simple sneeze– he had to say something to Lee, anything about it...

They would meet again the following day. Maybe after sleeping he would figure out what to do, then.


End file.
